'99 4Runner Build: Clara

[sixstringsteve]

Loving my last rig, Abner, but needing 4 doors and more room for passengers, I picked up Clara, a '99 4Runner Highlander. Why the name Clara? La Niña (Spanish for The Girl) was one of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage towards the Indies in 1492. The real name of the Niña was Santa Clara. The name Niña was probably a pun on the name of her owner, Juan Niño of Moguer. She was a standard caravel-type vessel. The Niña was by far Columbus's favorite ship. It's only fitting that my ship, a '99 4Runner, be named after my favorite explorer's vehicle that he used to explore in.

Plans right now:
- new steering rack bushings
- new lower bjs.
- possibly new inner and outer bjs.
- sliders
- 33's (it came with 33's)
- Tundra front caliper upgrade
- CBI style rear bumper
- some type of front bumper one day


Take the following parts from Abner:
- front OME lift
- manual hubs & diffs (4.88s)
- upper control arms
- budbuilt skidplates
- helton hot shower
- rock lights
- Head Unit
- CB


Goals: to have a rig that's super comfortable and reliable for daily driving (90% of its life), driving on washboard/unimproved roads (8% of its life), and capable enough to crawl simple trails like Hole in the Rock Trail, Elephant Hill, Steelbender, Golden Spike (2% of its life). The goal of this rig is to make memories by take me camping to new places I haven't been before, and take me back to places I have been before. That's about it.

 

[Cascadia]

Been waiting for this thread to start! Excited to see where it goes! Nothing but the best from you.

 

[sLcREX]

Glad to see this thread up! Good choice on the name, I dig it

 

[pELYgroso]

looks nice! Almost nice enough to not need a build thread! But this is Steve we're talking about..... Looking forward to the mods!

 

[sixstringsteve]

Thanks guys. It won't be a really crazy build. Less is more in this one.

The plan is to get some rear OME coils and shocks from Kurt tomorrow and install the suspension this week. I've got a camping trip this weekend, and I'd like to have the OME installed/swapped by then.

 

[jentzschman]

Subscribed!

 

[zukijames]

steve i like they looks of that rig! some sliders and bumpers on there and you will have everything you need!and almost everything you want!

 

[UVRUGBY]

I am subscribed to this one. Interested to see what direction this all goes.

 

[4biker]

Yay - build thread! Like I said in the other thread, I think the black Highlander model is about as handsome (or pretty) as it gets for the 3rd gens. First, I'm impressed he stuffed 285's under that thing with no lift. Did he talk about rubbing issues at all? Second, I've looked at swapping out for manual hubs and it seems like it's hugely expensive on anything with 6cyl after 1996 since the ADD system is such a pain to get around. Is it just a simple swap over?

I'll definitely be watching this build to see what I can do better on my own - enjoy this rig! Hopefully I'll be able to come over and help when you need an extra hand.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I believe the highlanders are 1" taller than factory. The 285's will barely rub the frame at full lock. It's never been wheeled, so it's never had the wheels stuffed up in the wheelwells. I'm sure it'll rub somewhere.

Regarding the manual hub swap, my tacoma has manual hubs. I just need to swap everything from the tacoma over. The benefits are probably negligible, and the manual hub axles are smaller/weaker, but I like the simplicity of getting rid of all the vacuum lines and things that could go wrong in the future. I'm told the only issue I'll run into are the front brake lines. Supposedly they'redifferent on the tacoma vs 4runner calipers because of the 16" wheels. I figure this might be a good time to swap to some Tundra font calipers anyway.

Regarding the Tundra brake swap, do the stock 16" wheels fit over the tundra calipers, or should I go to a 17" wheel?

 

[sLcREX]

Will your 35s and 17s not clear your OME lift after you install it? The Sequoia rims are 17s no?

 

[sixstringsteve]

The sequoia rims are 17s. 35's require a lot of cutting to fit. In fact, I think even my 33's will rub when the wheel is stuffed, I need to check.

A lot of guys say "I fit X tire with no cutting." Well, that's because they haven't taken it offroad yet and tried to stuff the tire. They don't rub in the parking lot, and they forget that when people crawl, their tires are stuffed up against the bump stop.

On these rigs, a lift won't create any more clearance when the shock is totally bottomed out. When your suspension is completely compressed (bottoming out on the bump stop), the tire is in the same place, regardless of the lift. On these vehicles, unless you add a body lift (yuck!), you won't gain any clearance at full bump. You will gain a bit more clearance at ride height. Not sure if that makes sense. With a lift, you're basically pre-drooping the spring. You trade downtravel for uptravel.

One of the quickest ways to break axles is to have a tire that binds/rubs in the fenders.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I just ordered my steering rack bushings, and front and rear anti-sway bushings from wheeler's offroad. I figure with 180k on the clock, they're overdue.

 

[sLcREX]

Yeah I get what you mean. I wondered if the lift limited your uptravel where the tire won't stuff all the way up there as before.

 

[4biker]

That's true, some of the 99's are the tallest ever so that's a bonus. I wonder if those front coils you swap over will lift you at all?

The tundra brakes will fit under the 5-star wheels you have now. I'm guessing there are wheel spacers on it too, which will help with the rubbing if you can keep the tires off the fenders. At least the spacers will keep you off of the upper control arms.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I agree, I may not get much lift out of an OME setup. I will get a much better ride though, I love my OME suspension on my tacoma.

I have aftermarket UCAs, I don't think I'm going to rub on them. I'll have to check if there are spacers on the front.

 

[Kevin B.]

:: pulls up lawnchair ::

 

[4biker]

Nice - aftermarket UCA's are a little spendy, but will give you better travel with no rubbing. I only guess you have spacers because the wheels look a little bit pushed out, but your fender flares aren't as wide as mine, so I could definitely be wrong.

I agree on the OME vs stock suspension - definitely heavier duty and probably more comfy, esp. offroad. If you want to keep it low like your front 880's, I'd look at 906's for the rear or you may need to cut a coil or two off of the 891's if you get those or you'll end up pretty raked. I've got 906's if you want to feel how they ride before buying.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Nice - aftermarket UCA's are a little spendy, but will give you better travel with no rubbing.

Not only that, but my UCAs are the only ones that are adjustable. So i can dial in camber and castor. I can get my alignment back to stock. I love these UCAs more than any other on the market (I'm not a fan of the uni-ball, they're always squeaking).

I have 880s in the front. I'm thinking I want 890s for the rear.

 

[4biker]

890's are a little taller than 906's with a lower spring rate. It'll probably be a great choice unless you really load down with a rear bumper, cargo platform, etc. Check this build thread out - scroll down to post #5 to see his experience with 890's: http://www.yotatech.com/f79/gerdos-profile-85724/ He did his research well.